Aya?

"Wait, so you're saying that's Aya?" Bell inquired, disbelief lacing his voice as he gazed at the woman seated across the bench. She casually sipped from a hot coffee in a paper cup, engrossed in her phone. She hardly resembled the Aya he remembered; she seemed much older.

Lisa chimed in, clarifying, "The older version of her, to be precise."

"How old is she now?" Bell wondered aloud.

"In short, she's 40," Lisa replied.

"Forty?" Bell couldn't fathom the logic behind it. The woman had been 18 when the Federation had captured her. Now, she sat before them, unmistakably Aya but with a completely different appearance. She appeared slightly older, having shed most of her youthful features, but Bell knew that demons rarely aged beyond twenty-five or thirty.

The transformation revealed more than just horns; her red eyes and white hair stood out. She wore a field uniform devoid of any insignia, indicating her affiliation with the unnamed unit, the RAA-POO.

Naturally, ensuring loyalty from those who had 'turned' and were put into active duty was of utmost importance. It was evident that Aya was no exception. The mere thought of her potentially summoning another dragon if she rebelled sent shivers down his spine.

"Yes," Lisa began, providing a detailed account of Aya's remarkable background. "She enlisted in the SDF at the age of 18, became ranger-qualified, and then joined the tokushusakusengun at 22. She pursued a degree in Criminology at Berkeley, graduating at 29, and completed her master's at the same university by the age of 32. Her wealth of experience eventually brought her to our agency at 32, and she was subsequently assigned here as a support unit for the POO, as she explained to us."

Bell struggled to fully grasp the extent of Lisa's explanation. The first part highlighted Aya's extensive combat experience, while the latter part showcased her impressive educational background, making her highly qualified for the intelligence agency. However, Bell couldn't help but wonder if there were downsides to it all.

"The thing is, thanks to Project Mindslot, this woman has forgotten the majority of her overpowered abilities, along with any 'harmful' memories," Lisa continued.

"So, no more dragon summoning?" Bell quipped.

"Unfortunately, no," Lisa replied. "However, most of the intelligence we could gather from her was already disclosed. She might have forgotten most of the details if it weren't for the dossier prepared to brief her on her assignment."

"Alright, so... what exactly does she do now?" Bell inquired.

"She primarily handles intelligence work, focused on preventing any harm to our country," Lisa explained.

"Regarding Mindslot, what exactly is it capable of?" Bell pressed.

"You'll soon find out," Lisa replied mysteriously.

Lisa took Aya to a shooting range, with Bell accompanying them. Aya was equipped with her standard tactical gear, including an H&K assault rifle and a Five-seveN pistol, allowing her to demonstrate her abilities. It became abundantly clear that she was more than deserving of her title as a paramilitary operation officer in the RAA.

"We've really done it, haven't we?" Bell asked Lisa. Both of them struggled to come to terms with what they were witnessing. It was undeniably real, and it sent chills down their spines. The 40-year-old woman, who had played a part in the destruction of the northern continent, now stood before them as a lethal operative, as Lisa would later explain.

Aya fired the pistol in her hand with deadly precision, hitting the target with a 100% success rate. She seamlessly transitioned to her rifle without hesitation, all while summoning her squad of tactical skeletons—ten skeletons outfitted in top-notch military gear. In essence, Aya had been transformed into something entirely different.

PROJECT MINDSLOT, a modernized iteration of the infamous MKULTRA, proved to be more effective than Bell had ever imagined. But he couldn't help but ponder if it was all for the greater good. Having one of the most potent necromancers in their ranks could potentially improve the dire situation with the husks. As an added precaution, the medical team had performed an ascension ritual, turning her into a demon to reconstruct her genetic makeup. They had dismantled her identity and created a new one.

Despite the undeniable success of the project, Bell couldn't shake the unease that gnawed at him. The ethical implications of what they had done to Aya weighed heavily on his conscience. They had stripped her of her identity, reshaped her both physically and mentally to serve as a tool for their goals, all under the guise of the 'greater good.' The question that haunted him was at what cost had they achieved their objectives?

Standing beside him, Lisa seemed to sense Bell's inner turmoil. "It's a necessary evil, Bell," she said, her voice unwavering yet tinged with empathy. "Remember the chaos she unleashed before. Think of the lives that were lost. We had no choice but to take extreme measures."

Bell wanted to feel a sense of pride, but it eluded him. In the end, everything they were doing was for the sake of their people.

"Are you ready for today's assignment, Aya?" Bell uttered the catchphrase, activating the programmed response.

"Yes, sir?" Aya responded obediently.

"Can you inflict a non-lethal injury to your hand?" Bell instructed.

"Yes, sir."

Without hesitation, Aya drew her knife and pierced her own hand in a non-critical area, causing it to bleed. There was no flinching, no screams of pain, no hint of emotion on her face. She appeared like a cold, unfeeling soldier, ready to follow orders without any concern for self-preservation, akin to a robot.

"Proceed to the medic bay, Aya."

"Yes, sir."

Aya simply walked to the medical bay without posing any questions. Some of the demons still regarded her with hostility, but she remained unfazed and unafraid. This was the new Aya, a biological automaton with fabricated memories to compensate for everything. Lisa and her team had ensured that she could still function normally, but once that catchphrase was activated, Aya transformed into something entirely different.

One lingering concern weighed heavily on all their minds: What if Aya managed to break free from the brainwashing and turned against their cause? Bell's plan aimed to showcase the kindness and normality of demons, particularly because the southern coalitions had painted demons as comically evil. Lisa shared this goal, hoping that Aya's new memories might align with her own moral compass. However, if all else failed, they knew that terminating her would be the only option.

"Are you confident she won't suddenly betray us?" Bell inquired.

"I'm 99% sure, at least."

"Just to clarify, this isn't some sort of mind-control spell placed on her, right?" Bell asked again, concerned that a magical weakness could potentially counter it. If someone cast a purification spell on her, it might break the mind control, leaving them to deal with an exceptionally well-trained necromancer with tactical expertise—a nightmare scenario.

"I highly doubt there's a mind-control spell, sir. We essentially rebuilt her memory from scratch, creating a new identity alongside the old one to form a complex blend of both. This way, she can function as normally as possible without realizing she's being manipulated."

"Brainwashed, huh?" Bell mused.

"I prefer to call it 'reprogramming,' if you ask me, Bell," Lisa offered.

"Yeah, that works too."

"We've also implanted some false memories to activate her sense of egalitarianism—a failsafe to prevent her from using her necromantic abilities to commit genocide against humans," Lisa explained.

"Well, finally, something I can get behind, eh?"

"None of us enjoy this, but we're up against an enemy that won't stop until our extinction," Lisa continued. She then provided more details, "Let's not forget, we've invested a staggering 3,000,000 EP to refine an already effective method, alongside additional improvements, all for the sake of integrating her into our group."

"Just another layer of insurance in the grand scheme of things, right?"

"Let's avoid dwelling on this," Lisa concluded.

==========

Aya sat silently in the medical bay, her face devoid of emotion as the doctor carefully tended to her injured hand. She struggled to piece together how she had sustained the injury, her memory shrouded in a fog. However, a fabricated memory floated to the surface—a simple cooking mishap in her apartment—carefully planted to conceal the truth of her self-inflicted wound, carried out under orders.

"How are you feeling, Aya?" the doctor inquired, genuine concern in his voice.

"Just fine, doc," Aya responded mechanically, her voice lacking its usual warmth. The headaches and nightmares she had mentioned felt distant, as if they belonged to someone else.

The doctor nodded, taking note of her responses. "And about these nightmares you've been experiencing, can you elaborate on them?"

Aya hesitated momentarily, her programming stepping in to filter her response. "They're nothing too serious, just... scenarios from battles. Probably just stress."

Unaware of the profound reconditioning Aya had undergone, the doctor accepted her explanation. "Make sure to get enough rest. These nightmares might be your mind's way of dealing with the stress."

Aya nodded, her expression remaining unchanged. In reality, the nightmares were fragments of her past and present colliding—a chaotic blend of her own fears and the programmed loyalty instilled by PROJECT MINDSLOT. They were echoes of a subconscious struggling against the new identity that had been forcibly imposed upon her.

As she left the medical bay, Aya's thoughts were a muddled mix of confusion and clarity. The programming had taken hold, shaping her actions and responses, yet traces of her old self still lingered, manifesting in dreams and fleeting moments of doubt. She was a soldier, a tool, but beneath the surface, the remnants of the real Aya Hoshino fought for recognition.

Bell and Lisa's manipulation had been effective, but it was not without its complexities. Aya stood as a living testament to their desperation in the face of an existential threat, a symbol of the lengths they were willing to go to safeguard their people. However, in doing so, they had ventured into ethically murky waters, and the full consequences of their actions were yet to fully unfold.

Aya felt that there was nothing amiss about her nightmares; they were simply dreams and held no bearing on reality. She was content with her sustainable career in the intelligence community, which came after enduring the grueling combination of a criminology undergraduate and master's program, coupled with Spartan-like military training. Nightmares wouldn't jeopardize her career at the RAA. Besides, disappointing Sylva was not something she wanted to experience.

She attended a briefing with Sherwood and Adenauer, tasked with a straightforward mission: infiltrate the no man's land and gather intelligence on the plans of the southern coalitions. It would be a challenging endeavor deep behind enemy lines, but they hoped it would go smoothly. After the LIHV outbreak, the RAA had received carte blanche from the minister.

"LT, over here!" Ade shouted.

Aya approached the two individuals. Sherwood served as her supervisor for this operation, a senior member in paramilitary operations with expertise in multi-cultural relationships. Adenauer, on the other hand, was a formidable figure with medical skills, both of them pivotal in tracking down the maker of the biological weapon. Aya's role was to oversee the HUMINT (Human Intelligence) operation.

"What's the op-details, ma'am?" Aya inquired.

"Let's first identify the person behind the distribution of LIHV. His name is Sir Albert Gavil, a knight. Last known location was Fort Normolus, and that's where we're headed," Wood explained.

"Why does that name sound familiar?" Aya quipped as she lifted her rucksack from the snowy ground.

"Perhaps just a sense of déjà vu. The helo will depart at 1730, and we'll use the cover of night," Wood instructed.

"Aye, ma'am."